Development of an academic RVU (aRVU) system to promote academic productivity
Topic overview
Implementation of an academic RVU (aRVU) incentive system in a pediatric surgery department led to dramatic increases in research funding (7.7-fold), publications (5.8-fold), and competitive awards while maintaining clinical productivity. The weighted scoring system rewarded grants, publications, presentations, mentoring, and other scholarly activities based on faculty clinical FTE allocation.
Key takeaways
- Adding academic RVUs (aRVUs) to clinical wRVU incentives increased federal funding 7.7-fold and publications 5.8-fold over 8 years.
- The aRVU system weighted 30 activities including grants, publications, presentations, mentoring, and IRB protocols based on faculty cFTE.
- Academic productivity surged while clinical wRVUs still increased 8%, demonstrating both missions can be maintained simultaneously.
- Faculty and trainees received 41 competitive research awards after aRVU implementation, including major national surgery society honors.
- Structured incentivization for academic work is essential to counter pure clinical productivity pressures in academic surgery departments.
Comments